Gaming devices and smart TV now Harvey Norman channels

Five per cent online sales target missed, now wants one or two per cent

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Retailer Harvey Norman says gaming devices and smart TVs are now channels for the company.

The Register cannot find any presence for the retailer on these two channels,so presumably it's a case of watch this space for new efforts.

The company included the devices in its new “omni channel strategy” revealed in the Chairman's Report of its half-yearly results. The report says the Harvey Norman website is just one channel through which it will “seamlessly integrate” the customer experience. The other channels mentioned are stores, kiosks, marketing, social media, smart televisions, networked appliances and gaming devices, distribution centres and home services.

Chairman and Director Gerry Harvey also revealed that the company has experienced disappointing online sales and has therefore halved its projections for future online revenue.

The company had previously decided five percent of sales would come from the Internet inside two years, but faced with actual performance of .5 per cent of sales coming from online has revised that to one or two per cent.

The downwards revision comes after Harvey led an attack on online retailers beyond Australia's shores, as imported goods valued under $AUD1000 don't attract goods and services tax. Against the wishes of lobby group the Australian Retailers Association, Harvey led an attack on the government for failing to defend local retailers from offshore discounters. That attack was widely ridiculed as Harvey Norman stores are hardly notorious for winning customer service or low prices, while the company had previously made only token online efforts.